Method of manufacturing cushions



Sept. 6, 1966 J MARSH ET AL 3,270,394

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING CUSHIONS Original Filed March 19, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /6 g INVENTORS ATTORNEYS Sept. 6, 1966 J. A. MARSH ET AL METHOD OF MANUFACTURING CUSHIONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed March 19, 1964 INVENTORS z/o/m 19. 1164/95 GEO/mg M17 EMF/f1 0 WW V ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,270,394 METHOD OF MANUFACTURING CUSHIONS John A. Marsh and George W. Armfield, High Point, N.C.,

assiguors to Marsh-Armlield, High Point, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Original application Mar. 19, 1964, Ser. No. 353,222. Divided and this application Aug. 19, 1965, Ser.

Claims. (Cl. 29-911) This application is a division of our copending application, Serial No. 353,222, filed March 19, 1964.

This invention relates to a method of making cushions and pillows and intermediate similar articles of manufacture for making upholstered furniture and to methods for manufacturing the same. Although the invention will be described with reference to cushions and similar intermediate upholstering articles especially adapted for use as a seat or a back for upholstered furniture, it will be realized that cushions or pillows embodying this invention are adapted for other uses.

Cushions of the type with which this invention is concerned are known in the art and consist usually of a somewhat stiff resilient core or backbone, preferably polyurethane, covered on its opposite sides with batts of crimped Dacron fibers. These batts usually are backed on both sides with cheesecloth, commonly called scrim, which is attached to the batts by spaced lines of stitching. The assembly of the core or backbone and batts is enclosed within a cloth cover to form a cushion, which normally is then sold as an entirety to furniture manufacturers and is intended to be subsequently covered with upholstery fabric.

Up to the time of the subject development, cushions of the foregoing nature have been assembled by sewing the batts, about their margins, to the cover. Initially during this sewing operation the cover is inside out and has an opening along one edge. After the batts are sewn to the cover, the latter is turned right side out and the core is inserted through the opening between the batts. After the core has been so inserted, the edges of the cover must then be sewn together along the opening.

The foregoing conventional method of assembly not only is time-oonsuming because of the sewing operation, but also requires the use of two different types of sewing machines, one to sew the batts to the cover, and another to sew together the edges of the cover along the opening. In addition, the Dacron batts must extend beyond the periphery of the block-like core in order to provide marginal edge portions which can be sewn to the cover with lines of stitching that extend along the edge of the cushion. These extended marginal edge portions actually are non-essential in the finished cushion and thus require the use of more batt material than necessary. Moreover, cushions made by the foregoing method have seams that are somewhat bulky.

Additionally, the foregoing mode of assembly results in a product that is subject to variations in cover tightness because of errors occurring in the sewing operation and also in the operation of cutting the batts. In the event that the cover is too tight, the finished cushion lacks the desirable soft downy feel. In the event that the cover is too loose, the cushion will be unsightly and lack smoothness because of wrinkles and so forth.

Furthermore, the block or slab-like core in the conventional type cushion is not positively attached to the cover or to the batts, and, consequently, can shift position or crawl within the cushion and thus distort it out of shape. The latter problem does not exist in cushions embodying this invention because all elements of the cushion are secured to each other, i.e., the cover to the core, the cover to the batts, and the batts to the core.

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Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an improved method of making a cushion that results in savings of both material and time in manufacture.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method of making a cushion that is not subject to variations in cover tightness and which eliminates the bulkiness of sewn seams.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of making a cushion wherein there is no possibility of the core or backbone becoming displaced within the cushion.

Another object of this invention is to provide an im proved method of assembling a cushion of the type described which accomplishes the foregoing objects.

Referring now to the drawings forming a part of this specification and illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the method embodying this invention for assemblying the various elements of the cushion;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of one of the batts of fibers covered on both sides with scrim;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of an assembled cushion embodying this invention;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of a modified type of cushion used as an intermediate article of manufacture;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of another modified type of cushion; and

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 7-7 of FIGURE 6.

Referring now to FIGURES 3 and 4 of the drawings there is shown a cushion 10 embodying this invention. The cushion 10, which for exemplary purposes only is illustrated as being generally right parallelepiped in shape and thus adapted for use as a seat or back cushion for a sofa, a chair, or the like, has a slab-like core or backbone 12 of greater width and length than thickness. The core 12 is of a resilient yet somewhat stiff material, preferably a synthetic resinous foam, e.g., polyurethane, or material having similar characteristics of resilience and stiffness.

The core 12 is interposed between two batts of fibers 14, 14 which are generally coextensive with the core. Each batt 14 comprises loosely matted fibers 16 preferably covered on opposite sides with scrim 18. The scrim 18 is attached to each batt 14 by spaced lines of stitching 20, as shown in FIGURE 2. The loosely matted fibers 16 preferably are crimped synthetic fibers, preferably polyester fiber such as Dacron.

The batts 14 with the core 12 therebetween are disposed within a cover, of cloth fabric or the like, formed in two parts 22, 22, one for each major side of the cushion, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. Each cover part 22 has marginal edge portions or flaps 24 that, prior to assembly, extend beyond the peripheral edges of the batts 14 and core 12, as seen best in FIGURE 1. After assembly, the marginal edge portions 24 of the cover parts 22 are folded over each other in overlapping relation and are bonded to each other by a suitable adhesive. The under or innermost flap 24, and also a portion of the outer flap 24 are bonded by the adhesive to the peripheral edges of the core 12. Moreover, portions of the flaps 24 are bonded by adhesive to the peripheral edge of the batts 14, while marginal edge portions of the latter are also bonded by adhesive to marginal edge portions of the core 12. Hence, all elements of the cushion are secured to each other. While various types of adhesive are suitable, it has been found that an emulsion of latex in Water is very statisfactory.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the improved cushion preferably is made by stacking the various elements on a press generally indicated at 28 and having a flat bed 30 and a movable top platen 32, in the following order: (1) cover part 22, (2) batt l4, (3) core 12, and cover part 22. The assembled elements are compressed vertically, i.e., in a direction transverse to their planes, by descent of the top platen 32, to precisely the extent which is desired in the finished product. Preferably the top platen 32 is coextensive with the horizontal outline of the assembled cushion 10, as shown. While the assembly is thus compressed, an operator applies adhesive to the peripheral edges of the batts 14 and core 12, and to the inner sides of the flaps 24 of the cover parts 22. The adhesive may be applied by a brush (not shown) or preferably by a spray gun 34, as shown in FIGURE 1. When using the latter, the marginal edge portions 24 of the cover parts 22 can be held out to receive the adhesive by the current of air from the gun 34.

After the adhesive has been applied, the operator folds the marginal edge portions 24 of the cover parts 22 into overlapping relation and they become bonded to each and to the peripheral edges of the batts l4 and core 12. Some adhesive also will penetrate and soak between the batts 14 and the core 12 and thus bond the marginal edges of these elements together. Because of the foregoing construction, it will be seen that all of the elements of the cushion are secured to each other, i.e., the cover to the core, the cover to the batts, and the batts to the core. Consequently, the possibility of the core becoming displaced within the cushion is eliminated. Additionally, the method of assembly provides for a precisely controlled degree of cover-tightness.

It is to be understood that although the invention has been illustrated and described with reference to a cushion generally in the shape of right parallelepiped, which may be termed rectangular, the invention is equally applicable to cushions of other shapes, e.g., round, oval, etc. Furthermore, it will be seen that by omitting a batt 'from one side of the core a cushion can be constructed, in the same manner as aforedescribed, that can be used for what is usually called a semi-attached cushion, i.e., one wherein the cushion, although made as a separate unit, is subsequently sewn to the back of a piece of upholstered furniture.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a simplified modification of the cushion shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 that can be used as a cushion-like intermediate article in making upholstered furniture.

Referring now to FIGURE 5, the core 36 is interposed between two batts of fiber 38, 38 that are cut to have substantially the same or slightly larger size peripheral outline as the core. Each batt comprises loosely matted fibers covered on opposite sides with scrim 40 made of the same material as previously described. After assembly, the marginal edge portions 42 of the top layer of scrim of the top batt, and the bottom layer of scrim of the bottom batt, are stretched and pulled over the peripheral edges of the core and bonded thereto by a suitable adhesive or cement. Moreover, marginal edge portions of the fibrous portion of the batts 38, as well as the scrim 40, are also bonded by adhesive to marginal edge portions of the core 36. Hence, all elements of the cushion are secured to each other. In this connection, the scrim or cheesecloth is sufficiently stretchy so that it can be pulled and stretched as aforesaid to provide a product wherein the outer surface of the opposite sides of the cushion is relatively tight. If desired, one of the batts can be omitted to provide a semi-attached cushion.

A still further modified embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, indicated generally as 44. Here, as best seen in FIGURE 7, a batt 46 covered on opposite sides with scrim 48 is first cut to a peripheral outline considerably larger than that of a backbone or core 50 of polyurethane. The batt 46 is then placed to overlie the front face 52 of the core 50 and the overhanging marginal edges of the batt are wrapped around all four peripheral edges of the slab-like backbone member 56 and bonded to the back face 54 of the backbone member 50, near the marginal edges thereof, by an adhesive. Additional bonding strength may be provided by applying tape 56 to overlie the marginal edge portion of the batt 46 and the adjacent exposed surface of the back face 54. All of the elements of this article preferably are of the same material as the cushion shown in FIG- URES 3 and 4.

The intermediate cushion-like articles of manufacture shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 can be enclosed in upholstery fabric in a conventional manner, and then used for upholstery purposes. The semi-attached article wherein one of the batts is omitted can be secured in conventional fashion to the back of an upholstered piece of furniture, and subsequently covered with upholstery fabric. The article shown in FIGURE 6 is used where a more rounded appearance is desired.

Although articles of the type shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 are not as finished in appearance as a cushion which is provided with a fabric cover, e.g. FIGURE 3, they are less expensive to make and will sutfice for certain purposes of manufacturers of upholstered furniture. In this connection, it will be realized that a simple cushion of the aforesaid type also can be made in a variety of shapes and sizes.

It will be realized that a manufacturer of upholstered furniture could eliminate individual cushions and inner springs, simply secure, to the back or seat of the furniture piece, a polyurethane base element which has a batt of Dacron fibers secured thereto by cement as aforedescribed. In this case, the core of polyurethane would have to be made thick enough to take the place of omitted coil springs.

The method of manufacturing the articles shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 obviously is similar to the method described above for a cushion having a two-part cover. In the case of the article shown in FIGURE 5, the platens used to compress the backbone member 36 and the batt 38 assembled in overlying relation must be sufiiciently smaller in cross-sectional area than the batt to enable the marginal edge portions 42 of the scrim on the outer sides of the batt to be pulled into overlapping relation with the peripheral edge portion of the backbone member. Also, in compressing the assembled backbone member 50 and overlying batt 46 shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, the platen used to compress the back face 54 of the backbone member must be of smaller outline than the backbone member to permit the marginal edge portions of the batt to overlie and be cemented to the marginal edge portions of the back face of the backbone member and to permit adhesive tape to be applied in overlying relation with the marginal edge portion of the batt and the adjacent exposed areas of the backbone member.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been shown to illustrate the principles of the invention, it should be clear that many modifications can be effected that do not depart from these principles .and therefore this invention should be limited only by the spirit and scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of assembling a cushion comprising a cover and a filler which includes a slab-like backbone member of resilient but somewhat stiff material and at least one batt of loosely-matted fibers overlying at least one side of said backbone member, the steps comprising: assembling in overlying relation and in the order stated a first cover part, a batt having generally the same configuration but of smaller outline than said first cover part so that marginal edge portions of the latter extend beyond the edges of said batt, a backbone member of generally the same configuration but of smaller outline than said first cover part, and a second cover part generally coextensive with said first cover part; compressing the assembly to a predetermined extent in a direction transverse to the direction of its major dimensions; applying an adhesive to the peripheral edges of the filler and to the inner surface of the marginal edges of the cover parts; folding the marginal edges of the cover parts into overlapping relation against the peripheral edges of the filler whereby said marginal edges become bonded to each other and to the peripheral edges of the filler; and decompressing the assembly.

2. A method of assembling a cushion comprising a cover and a filler which includes a slab-like backbone member of resilient but somewhat still material and batts of loosely-matted fibers overlying both sides of said member, the steps comprising: assembling in overlying relation and in the order stated a first cover part, a first batt having generally the same configuration but of smaller outline than said first cover part so that marginal edge portions of the latter extend beyond the edges of said batt, a backbone member of generally the same configuration but of smaller outline than said first cover part, and substantially coextensive with said first batt, and a second batt substantially coextensive with said backbone member and a second cover part generally coextensive with said first cover part; compressing the assembly to a predetermined extent in a direction transverse to the direction of its major dimensions; applying an adhesive to the peripheral edges of the backbone and batts and to the inner surface of the marginal edges of the cover parts; folding the marginal edges of the cover parts into overlapping relation against the peripheral edges of the filler whereby said marginal edges become bonded to each other and to the peripheral edges of the backbone and corresponding batt; and decompressing the assembly.

3. A method of assembling an article of manufacture for use in making upholstered furniture comprising: a slab-like backbone member of resilient but somewhat stilf material and at least one batt of loosely matted fibers with scrim secured to the opposite sides thereof, said batt being disposed in overlying relation with one side of said member, the steps comprising: assembling in overlying relation the backbone member and the batt; compressing the assembly to a predetermined extent in the direction transverse of the direction of its major dimensions; applying an adhesive at least to the peripheral edges of the batt;

and pulling outwardly the marginal edge portions of the scrim on the outer side of the batt and pulling such portions into overlapping relation with the peripheral edge portions of the member whereby said marginal edge portions become bonded to said mem-bers peripheral edges; and decompressing the assembly.

4. A method of assembling an article of manufacture for use in making upholstered furniture comprising: a slab-like backbone member of a resilient but somewhat stiff material and at least one batt of loosely matted fibers having scrim secured to the opposite sides thereof, the batt being disposed in overlying relation with at least one side and the marginal edges of the member, the steps comprising: stacking a batt in overlying relation with one side of a backbone member of generally the same configuration but of smaller outline than the batt so that the marginal edge portions of the latter extend beyond the edges of the member; compressing the assembly to a predetermined extent in a direction transverse to the direction of its major dimension while maintaining exposed marginal edge portions of the opposite side of the member; applying an adhesive to the marginal edge portions of the batt; wrapping those portions of the batt which extend outwardly beyond the peripheral outline 'of the member about the peripheral edges of the latter so that the marginal edge portions of the batt overlie the marginal edge portions of the opposite side of the member and are bonded thereto, and decompressing the assembly.

5. A method defined in claim 4 including the additional step of adhesively securing a tape in overlying relation with the marginal edge portions of the batt and the adjacent exposed areas of the member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,546,689 7/ 1925 Verwys 2991.5 2,271,842 2/ 1942 Nachman 535 1 2,546,109 7/ 1951 Puchalsky 297219 2,991,583 7/1961 Carolan 2991.5 3,027,573 4/1962 Bell 5--355 3,070,402 12/1962 Stanton 297-452 3,088,133 6/1963 Waxman 5361 3,094,716 6/1963 Friedman 156-212 3,118,153 1/1964 Hoodj 5345 3,182,377 5/1965 Hoven et al 2991.l

JOHN F. CAMPBELL, Primary Examiner.

THOMAS H. EAGER, Examiner. 

1. A METHOD OF ASSEMBLING A CUSHION COMPRISING A COVER AND A FILLER WHICH INCLUDES A SLAB-LIKE BACKBONE MEMBER OF RESILIENT BUT SOMEWHAT STIFF MATERIAL AND AT LEAST ONE BATT OF LOOSELY-MATTED FIBERS OVERLYING AT LEAST ONE SIDE OF SAID BACKBONE MEMBER, THE STEPS COMPRISING: ASSEMBLING IN OVERLYING RELATION AND IN THE ORDER STATED A FIRST COVER PART, A BATT HAVING GENERALLY THE SAME CONFIGURATION BUT OF SMALLER OUTLINE THAN SAID FIRST COVER PART SO THAT MARGINAL EDGE PORTIONS OF THE LATTER EXTEND BEYOND THE EDGES OF SAID BATT, A BACKBONE MEMBE OF GENERALLY THE SAME CONFIGURATION BUT OF SMALLER OUTLINE THAN SAID FIRST COVER PART, AND A SECOND COVER PART GENERALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID FIRST COVER PART; COMPRESSING THE ASSEMBLY TO A PREDETERMINED EXTENT IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF ITS MAJOR DIMENSIONS; APPLYING AN ADHESIVE TO THE PERIPHERAL EDGES OF THE FILLER AND TO THE INNER 